Field of the Invention
One or more embodiments of the invention are related to the field of underwater vehicles. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, one or more embodiments of the invention enable a remotely operated submersible vehicle with a hydrodynamic design that incorporates an internal support lattice.
Description of the Related Art
Underwater vehicles such as submarines must be designed to withstand the pressure of the underwater environment, which can be extreme at significant depths. Therefore these vehicles are typically designed with pressure hulls that are cylindrical or spherical, since these shapes provide inherent rigidity due to their circular cross sections. However, these cylindrical or spherical shapes are not hydrodyamically efficient compared to more streamlined shapes. One solution to this tradeoff between pressure resistance and hydrodynamics is to add an external hydrodynamic shell around a pressure hull; however, this solution adds weight, complexity, and cost to an underwater vehicle. There are no known designs for a submersible vehicle that provide a hydrodynamic shape for the pressure hull itself.
For hydrodynamic efficiency, an underwater vehicle must also be pointed in the direction of travel through the water in order to minimize the drag coefficient. In general, this requires actuators to modify the pitch of the vehicle. Known solutions require multiple actuators to control pitch. There are no known designs for a submersible vehicle that use a single actuator to provide vertical thrust and to simultaneously control the pitch of the vehicle.
For at least the limitations described above there is a need for a hydrodynamic submersible remotely operated vehicle.